Paranormal Phenomenon: are all religions true?

[Sun Wukong]

*Summons the shade of Hitchens*

Hitchens: "I challenge you to a debate!"

*Other ghost flees in terror.

Hitchens shade: "I don't exist!"

*disappears in a puff of logic*

"All ghost problems have sorted themselves out nicely. Except for some reason all my scotch is gone."

[Buddha Punk Robot Monks]

To all the empiricists that have cluttered up the thread:

I wonder if you'd be willing to conduct seances and witchcraft in your home to summon a demon and prove your hypothesis that ghosts/ demons don't exist?

That said, please don't, as it could be really dangerous, even if you don't believe in the danger.

But of course you wouldn't because the Dread Goddess Empiricia has already told you that ghosts and demons don't exist, so why bother. Right?

[Death Metal]

In other words using something that doesn't exist to back up even more things that don't exist.

Haven't been proven to exist.

"Cannot be proven = does not exist" is an axiom that has been used against scientists for centuries. To use it against religion is not only unscientific, but outright hypocritical, not to mention disrespectful to the memories of every intellectual who was executed for going against the church.

[Avenio]

To all the empiricists that have cluttered up the thread:

I wonder if you'd be willing to conduct seances and witchcraft in your home to summon a demon and prove your hypothesis that ghosts/ demons don't exist?

That said, please don't, as it could be really dangerous, even if you don't believe in the danger.

But of course you wouldn't because the Dread Goddess Empiricia has already told you that ghosts and demons don't exist, so why bother. Right?

I conducted summonings all the time in my house.

My Blood Elf mage had a Water Elemental minion for a few years.

Don't see why it'd be that dangerous, though. You can dispell it whenever you want, and it only has a minute cooldown.

[Murkwood]

Stop right there.

1. Those shows are fake, put on for entertainment purposes.
2. No, you haven't. You might have saw something you thought was a ghost, but you didn't see a ghost.

I was expecting some people to take this position. However you cannot unilaterally say that ghosts do not exist, especially when so many people for millenia of human history have attested to their existence.

For millennia of history, people thought the sun revolved around the earth.

[Hladgos]

To all the empiricists that have cluttered up the thread:

I wonder if you'd be willing to conduct seances and witchcraft in your home to summon a demon and prove your hypothesis that ghosts/ demons don't exist?

That said, please don't, as it could be really dangerous, even if you don't believe in the danger.

But of course you wouldn't because the Dread Goddess Empiricia has already told you that ghosts and demons don't exist, so why bother. Right?

I have gone on a ghost hunt before, with some psychotic people I knew. I didn't see shit, except for a fox, a raccoon, a few mice, and some really funny faces on the guys when they picked up something on their bullshitometer.

[Coccygia]

I would say (and I think William of Occam would agree with me) that the simplest explanation is that "evil spirits" do not actually exist. Therefore any religion, or any procedure of any kind, would be equally effective in driving them out. All that would be necessary is for the "haunted" individual to believe in the procedure, and if they believe in ghosts or spirits in the first place that's not likely to be much of a problem. Heck, you could probably interest them in that property you own in Brooklyn, you know, that bridge?

[Death Metal]

I was expecting some people to take this position. However you cannot unilaterally say that ghosts do not exist, especially when so many people for millenia of human history have attested to their existence.

For millennia of history, people thought the sun revolved around the earth.

And people who said otherwise were told that since they cannot prove they were right, they were wrong.

[Blazedtown]

To all the empiricists that have cluttered up the thread:

I wonder if you'd be willing to conduct seances and witchcraft in your home to summon a demon and prove your hypothesis that ghosts/ demons don't exist?

That said, please don't, as it could be really dangerous, even if you don't believe in the danger.

But of course you wouldn't because the Dread Goddess Empiricia has already told you that ghosts and demons don't exist, so why bother. Right?

I conducted summonings all the time in my house.

My Blood Elf mage had a Water Elemental minion for a few years.

Don't see why it'd be that dangerous, though. You can dispell it whenever you want, and it only has a minute cooldown.

I'd like to see you try that with a Bloodthirster of Khorne.

[Vicious Debaters]

I think the OP has mistaken fiction for reality.

[Blazedtown]

To all the empiricists that have cluttered up the thread:

I wonder if you'd be willing to conduct seances and witchcraft in your home to summon a demon and prove your hypothesis that ghosts/ demons don't exist?

That said, please don't, as it could be really dangerous, even if you don't believe in the danger.

But of course you wouldn't because the Dread Goddess Empiricia has already told you that ghosts and demons don't exist, so why bother. Right?

I have gone on a ghost hunt before, with some psychotic people I knew. I didn't see shit, except for a fox, a raccoon, a few mice, and some really funny faces on the guys when they picked up something on their bullshitometer.

Doesn't that make it the perfect job? If you can bullshit your way out a traffic ticket, you can have a tv show.

[Threlizdun]

In other words using something that doesn't exist to back up even more things that don't exist.

Haven't been proven to exist.

"Cannot be proven = does not exist" is an axiom that has been used against scientists for centuries. To use it against religion is not only unscientific, but outright hypocritical, not to mention disrespectful to the memories of every intellectual who was executed for going against the church.

Would you be equally outraged if I were to state unicorns and leprechauns don't exist? Ridiculous notions with no evidence ought to be regarded as ridiculous. Science does not have to shy away from saying magic doesn't exist.

[Fascist Russian Empire]

To all the empiricists that have cluttered up the thread:

I wonder if you'd be willing to conduct seances and witchcraft in your home to summon a demon and prove your hypothesis that ghosts/ demons don't exist?

That said, please don't, as it could be really dangerous, even if you don't believe in the danger.

But of course you wouldn't because the Dread Goddess Empiricia has already told you that ghosts and demons don't exist, so why bother. Right?

"Summoning" Demons and shit is like shooting yourself with an imaginary gun. It doesn't do anything. If there was exactly proof, or even evidence (beyond mediocre, fake-ass TV shows) that ghosts existed, then maybe I would be more inclined to believe in them.

[Blazedtown]

Haven't been proven to exist.

"Cannot be proven = does not exist" is an axiom that has been used against scientists for centuries. To use it against religion is not only unscientific, but outright hypocritical, not to mention disrespectful to the memories of every intellectual who was executed for going against the church.

Would you be equally outraged if I were to state unicorns and leprechauns don't exist? Ridiculous notions with no evidence ought to be regarded as ridiculous. Science does not have to shy away from saying magic doesn't exist.

Would you being willing to make a bet on whether or not leprechauns exist, Kyle?

[Great Nepal]

To all the empiricists that have cluttered up the thread:
I wonder if you'd be willing to conduct seances and witchcraft in your home to summon a demon and prove your hypothesis that ghosts/ demons don't exist?
That said, please don't, as it could be really dangerous, even if you don't believe in the danger.
But of course you wouldn't because the Dread Goddess Empiricia has already told you that ghosts and demons don't exist, so why bother. Right?

Actually, we used to do those all the time as kids usually copied from TV shows or whatever but gave something to do during very regular blackouts.
Sadly no one responded to our callings...

[Hladgos]

I have gone on a ghost hunt before, with some psychotic people I knew. I didn't see shit, except for a fox, a raccoon, a few mice, and some really funny faces on the guys when they picked up something on their bullshitometer.

Doesn't that make it the perfect job? If you can bullshit your way out a traffic ticket, you can have a tv show.

And make a killing. One of th guys signed up for some TV show later on and never spoke with his buds again cause he got a cadillac.

[Blazedtown]

To all the empiricists that have cluttered up the thread:

I wonder if you'd be willing to conduct seances and witchcraft in your home to summon a demon and prove your hypothesis that ghosts/ demons don't exist?

That said, please don't, as it could be really dangerous, even if you don't believe in the danger.

But of course you wouldn't because the Dread Goddess Empiricia has already told you that ghosts and demons don't exist, so why bother. Right?

Yes. Go right ahead. Need blood sacrifices? As long as its not human, I'm down. Summon me a deamon. I want to smell the sulfur, hear the cries of the damned and kneel at the throne of Satan.

But of course, want doesn't get.

[Sun Wukong]

To all the empiricists that have cluttered up the thread:

I wonder if you'd be willing to conduct seances and witchcraft in your home to summon a demon and prove your hypothesis that ghosts/ demons don't exist?

That said, please don't, as it could be really dangerous, even if you don't believe in the danger.

But of course you wouldn't because the Dread Goddess Empiricia has already told you that ghosts and demons don't exist, so why bother. Right?

*summons the Dread Goddess Empiricia*

DGE: "Who dares summon me!"

"It is I, The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven!"

DGE: "Do you have evidence for this assertion?!"

"The Skulls of fallen demons, the feathers of bested angels, the holy screeds of India, the fires of Lao Tzu, and a driver's license!"

EGE: "Two forms of ID are enough. Empiricia is satisfied. Go in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. Serve Entropy."

[Avenio]

I conducted summonings all the time in my house.

My Blood Elf mage had a Water Elemental minion for a few years.

Don't see why it'd be that dangerous, though. You can dispell it whenever you want, and it only has a minute cooldown.

I'd like to see you try that with a Bloodthirster of Khorne.

I would, but I'd rather not have the Angry Marines break down my door and kick me in the face so hard my ancestors in 13th century England could feel it.

[New cinoxA]

All religions are equally untrue.

[Blazedtown]

Doesn't that make it the perfect job? If you can bullshit your way out a traffic ticket, you can have a tv show.

And make a killing. One of th guys signed up for some TV show later on and never spoke with his buds again cause he got a cadillac.

I know. I had a chance to pretend to be a ghost hunter back in high school. A friend of mine worked with a guy whose whole family thought their house was haunted. My buddy, being the evil genius that he is, asked me to pretend to be a paranormal investigator and go to his house and just make it up as I go along. The guy even wanted to pay, but being chickenshit and generally a good guy, I told him to keep his money and that its all bullshit. Everytime I have to pull a tampon out of a sewer I wonder what could have been.

[Baiynistan]

Occam's razor. What's more likely? The notion that every religion is true (or even just one of them)? Or the notion that none of them are? You have an incredible amount of work set out for you if you plan to prove irrefutably that supernatural entities exist, especially ones that make every human belief in the supernatural correct.

"All ghost problems have sorted themselves out nicely. Except for some reason all my scotch is gone."

I miss the Hitch.

[Coccygia]

Stop right there.

1. Those shows are fake, put on for entertainment purposes.
2. No, you haven't. You might have saw something you thought was a ghost, but you didn't see a ghost.

I was expecting some people to take this position. However you cannot unilaterally say that ghosts do not exist, especially when so many people for millenia of human history have attested to their existence.

I do not say it unilaterally - I say it along with millions of other rational human beings. And if "many people for millenia of human history" have attested to the existence of ghosts, that proves nothing. Many people have attested to the existence of dragons, unicorns, and mermaids as well. And for most of human history, people believed the Earth was flat. All any of this proves is people are dumb.

[Dejanic]

To all the empiricists that have cluttered up the thread:

I wonder if you'd be willing to conduct seances and witchcraft in your home to summon a demon and prove your hypothesis that ghosts/ demons don't exist?

That said, please don't, as it could be really dangerous, even if you don't believe in the danger.

But of course you wouldn't because the Dread Goddess Empiricia has already told you that ghosts and demons don't exist, so why bother. Right?

I conducted summonings all the time in my house.

My Blood Elf mage had a Water Elemental minion for a few years.

Don't see why it'd be that dangerous, though. You can dispell it whenever you want, and it only has a minute cooldown.

Ffs nerf frost.

[Hladgos]

And make a killing. One of th guys signed up for some TV show later on and never spoke with his buds again cause he got a cadillac.

I know. I had a chance to pretend to be a ghost hunter back in high school. A friend of mine worked with a guy whose whole family thought their house was haunted. My buddy, being the evil genius that he is, asked me to pretend to be a paranormal investigator and go to his house and just make it up as I go along. The guy even wanted to pay, but being chickenshit and generally a good guy, I told him to keep his money and that its all bullshit. Everytime I have to pull a tampon out of a sewer I wonder what could have been.

You could've been killed by angry spirits. Be thankful for those tampons. They are a sign from some spirit that you are loved.